Trump Admin Now Crowdsourcing for “Creative” Ideas on Iran
The Defense Department is out of options—and reaching out to others for suggestions on what to do next about Iran.
The Trump administration is running out of ways to pressure Iran, with its airstrikes failing to end Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz or force the country back to the negotiating table. So now the military is asking for “unconventional” new ideas.
CNN reports that an officer in the U.S. Central Command’s intelligence branch sent a message Wednesday to military analysts “looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran.” It’s an unusual thing to ask over email, according to CNN, and shows that President Trump knows his options are limited as the war with Iran enters its sixth month.
The email was sent before Trump threatened new airstrikes against Iran and then relented, over the weekend, after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Gulf leaders talked him out of it. Among the plans were attacking Pickaxe Mountain and other Iranian sites reportedly housing nuclear equipment or material.
Those sites are deep underground, however, and would have likely required deploying American ground troops, which Trump is trying to avoid. Eighteen American service members have been killed in the war, according to official counts, and the administration has been criticized for its lack of transparency on military casualties.
“At the end of the day, POTUS will want a deal, so he’ll continually look for ways to get tough and get out of this,” an unnamed source told CNN. “You need creative minds at times—especially if you’re running out of conventional options.”
But more bombing probably won’t change Iran’s negotiating position, according to the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency. Trump has effectively backed himself into a corner with his ill-advised war, and is having trouble with being able to walk away with anything he can call a victory. American missile stockpiles have dwindled, scores of civilians have been killed, and the global economy, including gas prices, has taken a massive hit. Trump needs a way out.
https://newrepublic.com/post/213863/defense-department-trump-crowdsourcing-creative-ways-punish-iranJust a reminder of the shake up and dismissal of some top military minds since Trump's second term began.....
Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr.: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen. Randy George: Army Chief of Staff
Adm. Lisa Franchetti: Chief of Naval Operations (the first woman to lead the Navy)Adm.
Linda Fagan: Commandant of the Coast GuardGen.
Timothy Haugh: Director of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command
John Phelan: Navy Secretary
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse: Head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield: U.S. Military Representative to NATO’s Military CommitteeMaj.
Gen. William Green Jr.: Army Chief of ChaplainsGen.
David Hodne: Commander of Army Transformation and Training CommandGen.
James Slife: Air Force Vice Chief of Staff
During Donald Trump's second term, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the administration have fired or forced the abrupt departure of roughly 15 to over 20 high-ranking generals, admirals, and defense leaders. (By contrast, no high-ranking officers were dismissed during his first term).
And now they're crowdsourcing!
